Basically Strangers (revised)

[16 - Stranger Changes]

[16 - Stranger Changes]

The car ride was silent. You weren’t buckled in, you just stared at Adilia with your knife in hand. There had to be thirty, forty guns in the back.When the car parked in the lot, you popped the back doors and picked up two handguns, the kind that Arkin had taught you how to shoot. Adilia got out of the car and started helping you put holsters for the weapons on. The only other car in the lot was a green BMW.

“This is suicide,” she muttered.

“I don’t care,” you said, slipping the knife into the knife pocket on your thigh and grabbing the two handguns. Adilia rolled her eyes.

“I’ll get funeral arrangements set up. Two caskets.” She got in the driver’s side and left the parking lot of the condemned ADCC. The door was held closed by a chain and a lock. You entered the building as the lock broke under the force of the rock you found on the ground and smashed against it. As you entered, you pulled up the hem of your t-shirt under Arkin’s jacket you wore to cover your small nose and mouth as one horrible scent filled senses. You could define the smell nearly instantly.

Disease. The place was crawling with it. You didn’t know why the ADCC had been abandoned so quickly, but you could tell instantly that no one had taken a moment before running away. You were almost afraid to breathe the air surrounding You. As you moved from room to room of the dark building, the only light coming from sunlight peeking through cracks in the walls or windows, or being reflected off of discarded trash and broken glasses. You looked around with tired eyes and a hunger in your gut.

Then you saw him, out of the corner of your eye. Arkin ran past you.

“Arkin!” you called running after him. You turned the corner. He was gone. You gripped one handgun. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Arkin sat on the floor, stripped only to his boxers in the sealed office of the ADCC. Two men stood at the door, and a woman and a man stood in front of him. He glared up at the two.

“Postle,” He spat. Postle didn’t react, per se. He tilted his head ever gently to the side.

“Hello, Arkin,” he said emotionlessly. “It is a pleasure to see you again. How long has it been? Two, three years?” Arkin glared at the pale man. “Either way, it is nice to see how you’ve grown.”

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” Arkin spat.

“Arkin,” Postle stated. “I do not want to kill you. I want to help you.” Arkin scoffed. Quinn flinched.

“What do I need your help with, you emotionless paper bitch?” Postle stood up and crossed the room. Every movement seemed forced as he sat down on the floor only a few feet away from Arkin.

“Do you not understand, Arkin? I want you to join me with the Bruscas. You should not have broken them down. We do good work under their guidance.”

“Good work?” Arkin spat. “We didn’t do good work! We hurt people! We killed people! Do you know what my confirmed body count is?”

“4,732,” Postle interjected. “Of course I do, Arkin. I still have our videos.”

“We were war criminals,” Arkin spat.

“We cut down those who hurt the lesser man.”

“By killing innocent people who worked for them! Postle, we were monsters! Why can’t you fucking see that?” Postle tilted his head to the side.

“You’ve changed, Arkin. What happened to the man who enjoyed the kill? What happened to the boy who had fun in the burning? What happened to my friend?” Arkin glared at him, struggling with his restraints. “I suppose it has something to do with the ward you took on.” Postle stood up.

“What?” hissed Arkin.

“We kept eyes on you, Arkin. We always kept eyes on you. When you became ‘Rune’, when you moved into the city, when you got your pardon. All of it. We watched. And we watched you take that child into your care.”

“They’re not a child.” Arkin spat.

“We also watched you train them. You taught them well, Arkin. But you didn’t train them enough.” Postle propped open a laptop, laying it on the floor in front of Arkin. “Do you know why they shut down this disease control center?” Arkin stared at the screen as it booted up. “A delinquent put psychedelics into the air filters. Of course, they never would let it out. We simply added more of a similar compound into the air supply. Everywhere but this sealed decontaminated vaccine distribution office.”

The screen booted up. It was you. You were running down the hallway in the ADCC, seemingly fighting an invisible enemy.

“No-” breathed Arkin. “Let them go! Let them go, you bastard!” Postle handed a gas mask to Quinn.

“Arkin’s guest deserves a greeting, wouldn’t you agree, my dear?” Quinn nodded, picking up what looked to be a machete, and exited the room. The door sealed behind her. Arkin watched the screen fearfully. There was nothing he could do but watch.

Your world was fucking melting. The walls were dripping, you just couldn’t tell if it was paint or if the walls themselves were melting. Arkin ran past you for the fifth time, almost making you lose your balance. You didn’t want to shoot, you didn’t want to hurt Arkin.

Something bad was happening. Your body felt like it was getting hotter by the second. Suddenly a figure appeared down the hall. You leaned against the wall, trying to make everything stop spinning. The figure wore a black bodysuit with a gas mask and a machete at their side. They began sprinting at you.

You launched yourself from the wall, lunging at the person. They swung the machete at you, aiming for your neck. You dodged, just barely. They scraped your shoulder. With the drugs in your system accumulating, your sight was heavily impaired. Instead of simply the single figure, you saw six of them.

The many figures lunged at you. You jolted back and forced yourself to close your eyes. You wouldn’t trust your sight and you knew it. Taking a deep breath, you imagined Arkin beside you. In your mind, you felt him whip your thigh with the branch. And then-

You opened your eyes and fired.

“Ah!” they screamed in pain, falling to the floor. All the other figures melted away. What you would’ve assumed to be an epic battle was drawn to an anti-climactic close with the person writhing.

You looked around, still seeing the world in a psychedelic haze, and knew what to do. Lazily, you pulled the gas mask off the person who was slowly losing consciousness. You slipped it on yourself, trying to get fresh, non contaminated air into your lungs. After a few breaths, you could walk straight. It took you a few minutes to recuperate.

“Ah,” commented Postle. “That certainly is something, is it not? Your pet has shot my sister.” Arkin was laughing, proud of you.

“There you go, you pompous asshole! YN is better than you thought.” Postle turned his chair to face Arkin.

“How very typical of you, DeMeo.To train your follower to play dirty is very on brand for you.”

“It’s not playing dirty. You just didn’t expect Quinn to need bullet proof boots.” Arkin sneered at Postle, who turned back to the computer screen to pay attention to you.

You wandered through the halls, searching for somewhere to go. You had to find Arkin, if he was still alive at all. You read the hallway signs.

Autoimmune Diseases (IAD),Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), Childhood diseases, Vaccine Distribution Offices (VDO), Decontamination Rooms

You turned down the hallway and raced towards the decontamination rooms.

“They’re getting closer,” Arkin chuckled, seeing you wander through the hallways over the cameras. Postle stared emotionlessly at the screen. Postle picked up a pistol sitting on the counter next to him. He stepped close to Arkin and pushed it against his temple.

“Then they’ll find you dead.”

*****
1368 words total.
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